


Waking World

by orphan_account



Category: E.R.
Genre: Erotic Dreams, First Kiss, M/M, extremely bisexual carter, extremely wtf benton, sort of??, takes place in early season 2, um...idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 02:13:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10630020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dreaming about work was hell. It meant not even sleep was an escape, but for Carter it hardly ever happened, so he slipped into it with complete naivety to how the absurdity of dreams could affect the way you saw those same people in the waking world._____________________It was just like his dream, where his body seemed to act no matter how odd his brain found it. Carter leaned in and pressed his mouth to Benton’s. Benton stiffened against him, and then all at once, Carter seemed to realize what he was doing. He jolted back as if shocked.“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Carter’s face burned like fire. He felt like he was going to puke up his own heart.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i was binge-watching er and this happened.

It was practically routine at this point. Any two seconds of spare time at work meant crashing, and for Carter, it meant crashing hard. He’d always been a heavy sleeper. Maybe it came from having siblings and needing to tune out the noise for some shut eye. Or maybe it just came with the job.

Either way, Carter took to the nearest staff room and crashed. He was still in his scrubs and coat, his legs up over the arm of the couch. With his arms folded across his chest, he might have been in deep concentration…if he wasn’t snoring.

Dreaming about work was hell. It meant not even sleep was an escape, but for Carter it hardly ever happened, so he slipped into it with complete naivety to how the absurdity of dreams could affect the way you saw those same people in the waking world.

“Carter,” Benton said, looking over at him from where they stood just outside the patient’s room. From the slats in the blinds over their window, they could see the patient seemed to be sleeping and recovering fine. “Great job in there.”

“R-Really?” Carter knew he was grinning like a dork, but he couldn’t fight it from his face. There was something about praise from Benton that always twisted up his insides in the best way.

“I want you to know how proud I am…” Benton turned to face him, a hint of a smile on his face. “You’re learning fast.”

“W-Well I have a great teacher.” It just comes out. It’s not that Carter doesn’t mean it, but there’s a lot Benton lacks. The ability to chill out for one thing…the ability to lighten up, for another.

Carter had no indication that he was dreaming, not even when he felt his own hands reach up and hold either side of Benton’s face. He’d thought about strangling Benton before, dozens of times, but never putting his hands on Benton like this. Benton doesn’t flinch or yell. He just closes his eyes when Carter does.

Carter’s only thought when their mouths touched was that this was what it was like to kiss someone with a moustache.

“Carter!”

“What!?” Carter’s eyes flew open, just as it felt like his heart was going to jump up and out his mouth.  He jolted, dislodged himself from his cramped position and rolled onto the floor, landing hard.

“Carter…what the hell are you doing?” Benton looked down at him.

“I…n-nothing! I was just…” Carter felt his face flush, and there was no stopping it. That dream had felt so real…

“You were just asleep. You should have been waiting to scrub in.” Benton said firmly.

“I’m s-sorry…” Carter quickly scrambled to his feet.

“Well, you lucked out. I don’t need you anymore. Go home.” Benton jabbed his thumb towards the door. “I’m staying to finish some paperwork, and I don’t need you underfoot.”

“O-Okay…”Carter reached up with both hands to rub at his face and try to think of anything other than his dream.

“What’s with you?” Benton cocked his head. “You’re all red.”

“Am I?” Carter flushed again.

“You probably caught something out there.” Benton took a step forward and reached out. “Someone was in here earlier with a hell of a fever.”

“What are you doing?!” Carter surprised himself by raising his voice and practically jumping.

“What the hell, Carter? I’m just gonna check you for fever. Now, hold still.”

Carter shivered slightly as Benton pressed a hand to his forehead. Maybe he was sick, because there was no way he was _blushing_ from Benton touching his face.

“You’re warm.” Benton said softly, his hand then going lower.

“Don’t...” Carter’s voice was weak and tiny as Benton moved towards his neck.

“I just wanna check your glands.” Benton said with patience, a rare occurrence.

“Please…don’t.” Carter whispered, but then Benton’s hands went to either side of his neck. He swallowed hard.

“Calm down, and quit moving.” Benton pressed his fingers down harder. “What the hell is with you today?”

It was just like his dream, where his body seemed to act no matter how odd his brain found it. Carter leaned in and pressed his mouth to Benton’s. Benton stiffened against him, and then all at once, Carter seemed to realize what he was doing. He jolted back as if shocked.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Carter’s face burned like fire. He felt like he was going to puke up his own heart.

Benton just stood there staring at him, his arms still half-raised up towards Carter’s neck level. He narrowed his eyes slightly in what might have been suspicious, and when he spoke, his tone was like Carter had never heard before. Like the low rumble of the Earth before the volcano erupts.

“Carter…”

“I’m so sorry!” Carter said again. He felt his adolescent response to stress start up again after its several years’ absence throughout med school. He was hyperventilating.

“Carter…” Benton blinked and lowered his hands, his voice still full of pent up something.

“Please don’t be mad!” Carter gasped for a second, feeling the lightheadedness starting. “Okay, you…you can be mad, but please don’t be disgusted. And please…please don’t tell anyone!”

“Carter.” Benton dropped his hands and took another step forward. “I’m not mad.”

“You’re…not?” Carter instinctively took a step back and nearly tripped over a chair. He stumbled for a second before steadying himself, never looking away from his mentor.

“I’m not.” Benton said again. “But I am disgusted…because you tasted like coffee.”

“I’m…sorry?” Carter whispered, unable to believe what he was hearing. Benton wasn’t mad. Benton saying he wasn’t mad was surely a sign that this was the end of the world. Or maybe Carter was still dreaming.

“Your glands aren’t swollen.” Benton took a step forward again.

“Oh…good.” Carter reached up and pressed one of his own hands to his neck. His pulse was like a speeding jet beneath his fingertips.

“But you’re still red.” Benton actually smiled and Carter felt his pulse skip a beat.

“Well, as you can probably imagine, I’m feeling pretty freaked out.” Carter’s voice trembled. He swallowed again and shivered as Benton came closer and once again placed his hands on either side of Carter’s neck. “…Because I’ve never kissed a man with a moustache before. N-Not that I’ve kissed many men without them either. Just one…well, two…Unless we’re counting high school, in that case…”

“Carter…shut up.” Benton kissed him again.

Carter stiffened this time, his entire body slowly filling with burning heat and his heart slamming so hard that he thought his chest was going to bruise.

And then it hit him…this was Benton he was kissing. Doctor Peter Benton, the biggest grinch he’d ever met in his entire life. Benton who criticized his every move and breathed down his neck until he inevitably fucked something up.

But this was also Benton who praised him in rare moment that made him feel like he was going to pee himself and his face was going to crack from grinning. This was Benton who ultimately trusted him with patients…who said he was going to be a great doctor. And that was enough.

“What…what…what the hell is going on?” Carter mumbled into Benton’s neck when they finally broke apart. His fingers were clutching at Benton’s scrubs, and he still couldn’t breathe.

“What are we doing? Get off!” Benton said sternly, pushing Carter off of him by the shoulders.  

“Y-You kissed me!” Carter blushed again, his voice cracking slightly.

“You kissed me first!” Benton growled and then sighed, letting his face fall into his hands. Carter was secretly glad not to look into his eyes. “Look…as long as you’re my student…this can’t happen.”

“I know.” Carter whispered. “I’m sorry…it was an accident. I didn’t even mean to –I mean, I’ve never thought of you like that before.”

“Before what, exactly?” Benton’s voice was muffled by his hands.

“I…had this dream.” Carter had never blushed harder in his life. He was actually sweating in his scrubs.

“Never mind!” Benton said sternly. “I don’t wanna know…not now.”

“I’m sorry.” Carter said again. He was shaking slightly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Listen to me, Carter.” Benton looked up, his eyes dark. “This never happened. We’re going to walk out of here, go home, and never talk about this again. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes.” Carter nodded.

Benton didn’t move. He just stared down at the floor with an almost angry look on his face. At least that was something familiar. For some reason, Carter didn’t want to turn his back on him, so he slowly walked around sideways, never turning around. Finally, his back hit the door and he reached back for the knob.

“D-Dr. Benton?” Carter asked hesitantly as he turned the knob.

“What?” Benton still didn’t look up.

“…Am I the first guy you’ve ever kissed?”

“Carter…shut up and get _out!”_

Carter was back to his usually dorky grin as he bolted out of the room. He was still grinning when he was finally alone in the elevator. Benton’s words played over in his head…as long as Carter was his student…that could never happen. Benton was not the kind of person to say something just to be nice.

“Four more months…” Carter breathed steadily for the first time.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> im on tumblr @frappuccinio


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